BTS Fans Confused After Their Label Clarifies 'Hiatus' Announcement

The BTS ARMY was shocked when the group announced on Tuesday, June 14th, that they would be taking a hiatus to focus on solo projects. Now, the company behind the K-pop sensations has clarified that while the group is taking a break, they are not taking a hiatus.

The seven members of the group discussed their decision to go into a hiatus as they sat down for their FESTA Dinner, marking their 9th anniversary as a band. The group talked about dealing with COVID-19 forcing them to put a pause on their touring plans and music release as well. The group spoke in Korean in the video and the word "hiatus" was used for the English subtitles. However, a statement from Hybe, the South Korean entertainment company behind BTS, via AP read: "BTS are not taking a hiatus. Members will be focusing more on solo projects at this time."

Underneath a tweet from a popular fan account that shared the AP article, the BTS ARMY shared their confusion after the emotional day. "In that case i don't know who's more dramatic, us or bts? The way they said it really made it seem like they were taking a long break," tweeted one fan. "Definately definately [sic.] read the word HIATUS several times and their reactions supported it too! They were also bawling their eyes out like us the past several hours. It was like a goodbye dinner .. and now it is not?"

Whether it was a translation error or a general misunderstanding between the group and fans, BTS will likely not follow up their most recent album Proof for a while in favor of solo music. “We can’t help but think of our fans no matter what, we want to be the kind of artists that are remembered by our fans. I think now we’re starting to think about what kind of artists we each want to be remembered by our fans,” said Jimin. “I think that’s why we’re going through a rough patch right now, we’re trying to find our identity and that’s an exhausting and long process.”